Sock lining



Dec. 31, 1946. v, WATSON 2,413,534

' SOCK LINING I Filed June 2,1944

Patented Dec. 31, 1946 SOCK Lmme Carlisle V. Watson, Auburn, Maine, assignor to Henry G. Lumbard, Auburn, Maine Application June 2, 1944, Serial No. 538,380

1 Claim. (CI. 36-71) This invention consists in a new and improved sock lining for shoes.

The shoemaking industry has struggled for years with the problem of providing a flexible sock lining that would lie flat in the bottom of a shoe provided with an upwardly projecting curved support or cookie for supporting the lonitudinal arch of the foot. A sock lining which is initially flat invariably develops wrinkles when the attempt is made to give it the three dimensional contour required to fit smoothly upon an underlying insole having such an arch-supporting formation, and this isobjectionable both from the standpoint of looks and comfort to the wearer. In the endeavor to avoid wrinkling, manufacturers have been driven to the use of sock linings of much lighter and thinner material than could otherwise be advantageously used in shoes.

I have discovered that these objections may be obviated and other shoemaking advantages obtained by providing a sock lining with a cookie insert piece larger in its area than the projected area which it is to cover in the inside shank curve of the sock lining and by securing such insert in the sock lining so as to throw a spring into it. As a result, the insert piece tends naturally to stand up in a convex curve while the body of .the sock lining lies fiat in a single plane or on the flatter surface of the shoe bottom.

Going more into detail, I propose to attach a cookie insert piece of the proper shape first at one end adjacent to the inside shank curvature of the sock lining, then swing the insert outwardly, thus throwing a spring into it, and finally securing the insert so that it is permanently retained with the spring included; that is to say, its natural position is stabilized in an upwardly inclined convex curve. I have thus, in effect, molded the inside shank portion of the sock lining into three dimensional contour and secured it permanently in that condition.

In practising the process of my invention under actual shoemaking conditions, I find that it is entirely practical so to shape the sock linings and the cookie insert piece that a single standard insert may be used for the sock linings for a full line of all sizes and widths in any selectedstyle of shoe. In each instance the outline of the inside shank edge of the sock lining overlaps the adjacent edge of the cookie insert piece while the latter is secured to the sock lining by stitching or otherwise in a deformed or gathered condition which prevents the insert piece from lying flat.

The contour given the insert piece in the manner described provides a. fullness which may be utilized to enclose and cover a pad secured to the piece itself, or it may serve to cover a pad secured to the insole beneath it or to cover a convex extension or projection molded into the insole. My invention has thus a wide range of application depending in its details only on the preference of the shoemaker employing it.

These and other features of my invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the sock lining and insert piece in separated relation and right side Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the insert piece partially attached to the sock lining in inverted position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the insert piece as fully attached, still in inverted position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a portion I of the insert piece in attached relation and right side up; and

Fig. 5 is a similar fragmentary view showing a portion of a pad beneath the insert piece.

The sock lining l0 may be cut from calf upper leather orcomposite fibre or any flexible sheet material commonly used for sock linings. It is of conventional shape except that it has a reentrant concave recess in its inside shank edge extending from a rear pointll, herein shown as located slightly behind the heel breast line, to the forward .point l2 located slightly behind the ball line. This recess is formed by removing material at this location from within the normal outline of the sock lining. This sock lining blank is normally flat and is represented in Fig. 1 with its grain side uppermost as it is eventually positioned in the shoe.

The insert blank 13 may be cut from the same material as the sock lining, or it may be of contrastingcolor, but preferably of substantially the same weight and texture as the body of the sock lining. The under surface of its inner edge is skived at M as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The curvature of its inner edge approximates that of the concave recess lll2 of the sock lining blank and is shown as extending from a forward point l5 to a rear point [6. The outer edge of the insert I3 is also convex in outline and of somewhat sharper contour than the inner edge of the insert. As already noted I have found that a single standard insert l3 may be employed with a, full assortment of sizes of sock linings since the sock linings may be prepared with a concave the body of the-insert.

as a whole is confined to an area-less than that end 16 of the insert piece 13 is thrown inwardlyv substantially within the contour of the sock lining. In this condition the inner edge of thei;in-

sert piece overlaps the sock lining by a progressively increasing amount as the rear. GHd'fOf the insert is approached. Both pieces are shown in Fig. 2 flesh side uppermost or invertedin respect to the position in which the complete sock lining is to occupy in the finished shoe.

The next step in the process consists in forceably swinging the insert piece outwardly to bring its rear end into the outline of the sock-lining. The extent and direction of this swinging move- -ment is indicated-inFig. 3, .the dash-line indicatingthe "position of the insert i3 as it was originally attached by the tacking stitches- It will be understood that in swinging the insert piece in this manner its inner-edge is forceably shortened and a spring orbulge is,-thrown into In other words; the insert which it would occupy in flat condition. The

contour thusimparted to the insert is made permanent by extendingthe stitch line l'icompletely along the marginal edge of the concave recess -l l-l2'.; The inner -skived edge'- ii; of-the insert piece extends inwardly and underlies the body .of

the sock lining. Preferably the stitching is done with the socklining right side-upso that the stitch line" H may be gauged from the marginal --edge of the recess ll-l2 and lie par-allelto it.

Theupwardly convexcurvature of the insert piece I3 is well shown in Fig. 4 which shows the composite sock lining in cross-section.

/ its insert .l3 moldedfor shaped as above described may-now be-placed in a, shoe having a longitudinal archsupport, and-the insert will conform smoothly to the-convexity of thesupport while the bodyof the sock lining lies smoothly and-without wrin- The composite sock-dining with kling on the insole. This is so because the narscribed row section of the sock lining which remains in the shank after cutting the concave recess therein is called upon to flex in longitudinal direction only in conforming to the underlying insole, while the insert [3 must follow the double curvature which is required in conforming naturally to the transverse curvature of the inside shank portion orthe. insole. 1 i

If desired myinvention may be carried one step ,further by including in the insert l3, or attaching to its lower surface, a shank supporting pad it of rubber or other resilient composition. In

this way asock lining i made available which includes anarch-supporting member and which may be employed to impart this characteristic to the shoe without, requiring any special conformationof the sole itself or the provision of an archsupporting cookie in the structure of the shoe bottom.

- While I-have herein shownthe ins'ert...l.3 as

being attached by a line of-stitching, anadhesive union of the'parts is satisfactory inmany instances. Having thusdisclosed my. inventionand, de-

in '-detail an illustrative. embodiment thereoi l claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent: a l I An improved. .form fitting .sock. liningiforv a shoe-having an insole presentingl'bothlongitudinalcurvature and convexcurvature at.its;inside shank portionforLsupporting the. arch .otlthe foot, said sock liningtha'vinga body. otflexible material. and thecontour. .oi-the insole modified by having a deepreentrant concave recess. in its inside shank edge extending fromapproximately the heel breastline to the ball li-neandproviding clearance for the transversely .convexed portion oi-the underlying. insole, and. a cookie insert piece 0f substantiallyathewsame. flexible material .as the sock lining having aconvexlinner .edgeof greater overall-length than:,. aid recess nd. being secured "to the sock. lining .within the concavem'argin of the recess and alongra line ofsharpercurvature than the normal flat curvature of theedge of .the

' recessgtherebyforming an upward bulge. of con- -V8X curvature. in the insertpiececovering said recess while the body. of. thesock lining conforms without wrinkle-s to the .underlying surface of the longitudinally and transversely curved insole. CARLISLE V. WATSQN. 

